Senate OKs ethics bill to halt abuses

SPRINGFIELD — The Illinois Senate Monday passed a broad ethics package following a series of pension and alleged contract abuses that have shaken state government.

Sponsoring Sen. Jeff Schoenberg (D-Evanston) said the law would bring more accountability, and senators voted 51-0 to send the bill to the House.

One of the legislation's key provisions is a ban on the type of contingency fees that lobbyists like Robert Kjellander, national Republican treasurer, used to receive millions of dollars for his work on state pension deals.

The bill also is aimed at slowing down the revolving door that allows state employees to work as lobbyists shortly after leaving state government, and it limits their relatives' ability to lobby as well. Further, the legislation would require detailed explanations posted on the Internet when the lowest bidder does not win a contract.

A federal probe of the Teachers' Retirement System led to the guilty pleas of two Chicago attorneys, Joe Cari and Steve Loren, on corruption charges and the indictment of former teacher trustee Stuart Levine, who has pleaded not guilty.

On Monday, Sen. Christine Radogno, the Lemont Republican running for state treasurer, expressed support for Schoenberg's bill but said it fails to address the Gov. Rod Blagojevich administration's alleged abuse of sole-source contracts, where the state matches specific needs with specific firms instead of using a bidding process.

In other action, Senate President Emil Jones (D-Chicago) acknowledged that he did not believe a proposed ban on assault weapons, a measure backed by Blagojevich, would pass this spring because of a lack of support, a spokeswoman said.